Essie May Copeland, a 70-year-old resident of Monticello, Florida, was shot on the evening of August 23, 2022, on East Clark Avenue. Jefferson County deputies arrived at about 9:30 p.m.; Copeland was found with gunshot wounds and was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital by Jefferson County EMS, where she later died that night.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the State Attorney’s Office are investigating. A 17-year-old, Lance Nealy Jr., was arrested and charged with murder and is being held in the Jefferson County Jail as an adult. Sheriff Mac McNeill acknowledged the work of detectives and other agencies.

This shooting occurred exactly one year after another fatal shooting in the same area on August 23, 2021, when Lyndon Dawson and Jamien Davis were found dead from gunshot wounds; subsequent evidence indicated they had shot each other. A suspect in that prior case, Christian Venisee, later had the murder charge dropped and pleaded no contest to other charges; he is serving a two-year sentence.

If anyone witnessed the August 23, 2022 shooting or has information that could help investigators, please contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.